Supercharge Your Yoga Practice with Heartfulness Meditation

Meditation and yoga, since time immemorial, have proven to be a path for holistic living. This combination is very scientific and gives complete mastery over our body, mind, and soul. For women, especially, meditation and yoga leads to an enriching and spiritually empowering life.

Empowerment is not an idea or goal, but it is a practice women can visit everyday for their well-being. A healthy and strong body and mind is a major source of empowerment. Studies have proven that Yoga helps women in menstrual pain, menopausal hot flashes, prenatal and postnatal periods, maternal wellness, and generally in alleviating everyday stress, anxiety and even depression.

Meditation on the heart is the simplest way to build our self-confidence, become compassionate, and feel peaceful. Meditation expands our consciousness, elevates our awareness and restores harmony to our mind. When meditation is coupled with yoga, it becomes a very powerful practice. Yoga and meditation, together, makes women reach the pinnacle of her potential and can lead her to live an enriching life filled with contentment, satisfaction, and unlimited potential for growth.

Begin every day with a good dose of Heartfulness meditation on the heart, where we feel the presence of love, light, and infinite compassion. After a session of meditation, when the mind is balanced, and the soul is calm, and the heart is filled with love, begin the yoga practice. Generally all yoga practices are good for our body, however if you have any medical conditions that require therapy, please consult with your physician and follow their advice. Today I would like to share three yoga poses for women especially.

Sarvangasana

Sarvangasana literally means – asana or pose for the entire body. This asana is also called the mother of all poses or queen of all poses. It improves blood circulation, removes toxins from the blood and prevents skin diseases. It also prevents wrinkles, acne, reduces dark circles under the eyes, and fights signs of aging. It stimulates thyroid and parathyroid glands and improves their functioning. It is advised to practice Ardha-Sarvangasana (Half-Sarvangasana) for a few days before one starts practicing Sarvangasana.

Steps:

Lie down on the back. Place the hands by your side.
Lift the legs, buttocks and back together. Support the back with the hands.
Move the elbows closer towards each other.
Straighten the legs and spine by pressing the elbows down to the floor and hands onto the back.
Support the weight on the shoulders and upper arms, and not on the head and neck.
Bring the big toes straight over the nose. Point the toes up. Do not give pressure on the neck. Do not press the neck into the floor. (If you feel any strain on the neck, please come out of the posture immediately.)
Keep breathing deeply and stay in the posture for a few seconds as you are able to. There is no competition and do only what you can.
To come out of the posture, lower the knees to the forehead. Bring the hands to the floor, palms facing down. Without lifting the head, slowly bring the spine down, vertebra by vertebra, to the floor. Lower the legs to the floor.
Relax for 2 minutes.

Marjaryasana/Bitilasana or the Cat/Cow pose

This pose is very good for those who suffer from menstrual pain. It also strengthens the spine. Thus is it ideal for improving posture and balance. This pose helps us relax and ease some of the day’s stress, and especially for a woman it gives some comfort and solace for her body.

Steps:

Begin with a tabletop position – wrist under your shoulder and knees under your hips.
Keep your spine in a neutral position.
Inhale and push down your abdomen to the floor. Lift your tailbone and neck towards the sky. This is cow pose. Hold this position for 2 seconds. Now move to the cat pose.
Lift your spine towards the ceiling. Tuck in the tailbone and keep the chin on the chest. Hold this position for a few seconds. This is cat pose.
Alternate these poses ten times.

Navasana or the Boat pose

This pose strengthens the core by engaging your abdominal muscles and helps lose belly fat. The back and leg muscles also are strengthened. As you coordinate the limbs, the torso, and stay in this pose for a short while, it helps in improving your attention span. Pregnant women, asthma and heart patients can avoid this pose.

Steps:

Lie down on your back.
Keep the hands at your side and the legs together.
Lift your legs without bending.
Lift the upper body off the floor and stretch your arms towards your legs.
Be in this position for one or two minutes.

There are so many yoga poses suitable for women. Explore them and see what works best for you. Integrate them with a practice of Heartfulness meditation, and observe how this combination makes both these practices dynamic.

Kamlesh Patel, known to many as Daaji, is the fourth Global Teacher of Heartfulness meditation, who teaches simple heart-based meditation practices to suit the busy lifestyle of today. He brings forth the essence of yogic spiritual practices in a scientific way to help in emotional self-regulation and elevate one’s consciousness to the highest possible levels. Learn more at www.heartfulness.org.